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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. hand — help
  3. fall — the season
  4. firm — decided
  5. hand — in cards
  6. firm — a company
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. can — a tin
  11. ground — the earth
  12. can — to be able to
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ground — crushed
  15. fall — to drop
  16. can — a tin
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ground — a position
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. firm — steady
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com